As exhibition, publishing, and access, paradigms move swiftly to digital platforms, cultural heritage and memory institutions are compelled to collect and curate completely novel visual and art historical resources with the same breadth and rigor as they do their traditional, paper-based predecessors. Emergent tools and models for web archiving make preserving and accessing archived materials feasible, but it can be difficult to know where to begin. This workshop will demystify the process of establishing a web archiving program based on institutional needs and strengths, will expose participants to the tools and resources they need to start such a program, and briefly train them in software designed to meet their needs at their respective scales of need.

Snapshot from the Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015 Web Archive

Each attendee to this 60-to-90-minute workshop will devise a collecting scope for web-based resources vital to their institution, then work together in small groups to archive material from the live web using web archiving software. After reviewing the process and its results, attendees will be empowered to articulate the best next steps for their respective programs and propose opportunities for the further use of their web archives in data mining, exhibition, integrated discovery, and other related areas.

This workshop will be led by Karl-Rainer Blumenthal, Web Archivist for the Internet Archive’s Archive-It service and former National Digital Stewardship Resident embedded with the web archiving program at the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC).